Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, was a live guest on EKOTÜRK TV’s
“If we manage our brain well, we manage our mental health well”
In the program moderated by Eda Özdemir, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan drew attention to the need for proper management of free thought, emphasizing that human mental capacity builds civilization. Tarhan stated; "Unlike other living beings, humans possess a significant mental capacity, a sense of self-awareness. Other living beings lack self-awareness; they have basic physiological functions like eating, drinking, reproducing, and sheltering. Human mental capacity builds civilization. It produces abstract thought, challenges nature and the environment, and surpasses itself. Such a capacity exists because there is free thought, and in this situation, that free thought needs to be managed correctly. For it to be managed correctly, an individual's mental health comes to the forefront. In recent years, research on psychological resilience has always converged in neuroscience. The brain is the organ connecting the world of meaning and the world of matter. If we manage our brain well, we manage our mental health well."
“Humans surpass their genetic limits”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that humans surpass their genetic limits with the idea of freedom and independence, expressing that humans are in a position superior to nature. Tarhan said; "Human children are born neuropsychologically premature. They learn life by experiencing it. In other words, one-third of our personality comes from birth. This does not change in animals. It remains the same, genetically coded. A spider builds its web the same way it did a thousand years ago. An ant does the same, but we don't. We develop our behaviors. For example, when you examine the behaviors of an ant, a spider, a cat, or a dog, they do not exceed their genetic limits, but humans do. Humans have the idea of freedom and independence. There are metacognitive tendencies related to this. Due to this characteristic, humans are not part of nature, nor are they identical to nature. They have a position above nature. They have a position related to dominating nature. In animal psychology, studying their genes is sufficient."
The ‘3T’ rule in medicine…
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, discussing the protocols used in treatments, emphasized that the trio of ‘Diagnosis, Treatment, and Follow-up’ must progress together. Tarhan stated; "Our duty is to use all medical possibilities for the patient's recovery. Some diseases require drug therapy, some require magnetic stimulation, some require electroshock, and some patients only need psychotherapy, but first, a correct diagnosis must be made. After making the correct diagnosis, there are probable diagnoses. It is also necessary to predict and foresee the future. After doing these, a treatment plan is made for these individuals. In such situations, we make the diagnosis and identify target problems for the person's recovery. Then we make a treatment plan. For example, if the disease has just started, only medication is sufficient. If the disease has lasted a bit longer, we say medication along with psychotherapy. If the disease requires a stronger, more comprehensive treatment, we refer to drug therapy and magnetic stimulation therapies. In other words, we apply a triple protocol. In the triple protocol, there are three stages of treatment. The first is the minimum treatment method, where medication is the gold standard. The second is optimum treatment. This is medication along with psychotherapy. The third is maximum treatment. Medication, psychotherapy, magnetic stimulation, and genetic research. In medicine, there is the ‘3T’ rule: ‘Diagnosis, Treatment, and Follow-up’. If you make a diagnosis but do not follow up on the treatment, the disease will relapse. Therefore, the 3T’s must go together."
“Positive psychology tries to make a healthy person even healthier”
Tarhan emphasized the importance of positive psychology for individuals to better manage their mental state. Tarhan stated, "Psychology deals with the normal structure of the human psyche. Psychology has many sub-branches. There are sub-branches in all areas, from social psychology, industrial psychology, to animal psychology. Clinical psychology tries to bring what is abnormal back to normal. There is also positive psychology. Positive psychology tries to make a healthy person even healthier. It strives to increase the quality of life. Studies related to psychological resilience have been conducted, known as mindfulness studies. Being called positive is not about being a Pollyanna, but about providing counseling services to help individuals feel better and manage their mood better. What was done in classical old medicine when a person was sick? They were immediately operated on. The strongest, most aggressive treatments were applied immediately. Now, as medicine advances, a method of treating patients without making incisions is used. In general medicine, this is referred to as tissue-respecting medicine. In psychiatry, its counterpart is positive psychotherapy. So, positive psychotherapy has now replaced tissue-respecting medicine. Instead of delving into and discussing a person's negative past traumas or negative aspects, it involves assessing a person's strengths and weaknesses, and then, by highlighting their strengths, teaching them to manage their weaknesses. In other words, it is a way to strengthen the body's immune system and enable the body to overcome the disease on its own…"
70% of diseases are related to lifestyle…
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that 70% of diseases are related to lifestyle, emphasizing that people who manage their relationships with their environment well can be the happiest. Tarhan said; "Studies related to the psychology of happiness, happy marriage, and being a happy person are primary studies in psychiatry, a gold standard. Learning the ways to be happy is referred to as the science of happiness. Learning this is the biggest goal of this treatment. There is preventive mental health and prophylactic mental health. Prophylactic mental health identifies risk groups and ensures that individuals in that risk group do not fall ill. This happens with early diagnosis. There is also curative medicine, tertiary prevention. Tertiary prevention is protection to prevent relapse after the disease has passed. Preventive health is about ensuring that many people do not get sick. It is about teaching them not to get sick. In fact, 60 to 70 percent of diseases are related to lifestyle, dietary errors, social relationships, and errors in close relationships. Relationships have a significant impact. Humans have relationships with themselves, their families, their social environment, and their existential environment. People who manage these relationships well become the happiest."
“We cannot manage stress without knowing it”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that controlled stress is beneficial, emphasizing the need to learn to manage stress rather than fear it. Tarhan said; "We cannot manage stress without understanding it. Stress has a biological and a psychological component. The biological component is that our brain gives a fight or flight response when under stress. A fight response means if the person has the strength to combat it, they fight. If they want to escape, they give a flight response. When a fight response is given, five chemicals, which we call the five horsemen of darkness, are secreted in the brain. Special mixtures corresponding to feelings of 'grudge, anger, hatred, jealousy, hostility' are secreted in the brain. When the autonomic nervous system is stimulated and there is sympathetic activation, a fight or flight response occurs. Shoulder, neck, and back muscles contract. Pupils dilate, attention increases, you focus. In such situations, all sugar and fat stores in the body are activated. Blood sugar and fat levels rise. The body focuses on fighting at that moment. If this lasts a few hours, it is beneficial, increasing the focus duration, but if there is chronic stress, it starts to become harmful. Therefore, controllable stress is beneficial, uncontrollable stress is harmful. Because stress opens the human brain. Controllable stress is like riding a bicycle; if you use it controllably, you develop, your muscles develop, but if you stop uncontrollably, you fall. If you use it too fast or randomly, you will still fall. Controlled stress is a fundamental need of the body. Let's not fear stress, let's manage it."
“Generation Z is more prone to being innovative and entrepreneurial”
Tarhan stated that older generations matured amidst scarcity, while new generations are maturing amidst abundance, and that this is more challenging. Tarhan said; "It is necessary to properly understand X, Y, and Z generations. Generation X is the radio generation. The generation that grew up with radio. Generation Y is the television generation. They managed to socialize with television. Generation Z is the social media generation. Generation Z is free-spirited, questions everything, and has a great need for change. Past generations matured amidst hardship, while current generations are maturing amidst abundance. Maturing amidst abundance is more difficult. There are many people in Generation Z who have gained the ability to manage their emotions and themselves. They have more opportunities in life, more possibilities, and more conveniences awaiting them. The threats to Generation Z are different. They have a tendency towards comfort-seeking and easy solutions. If they manage this, they can make a difference. Therefore, every age has its own maturity. Generation Z is more inclined to be innovative and entrepreneurial. It is necessary to open up fields for them in science, art, discovery, teaching thought, and contributing to the advancement of thought. If these fields are opened, Generation Z will be the generation that saves the future."